To Make an Omelet, You have to Break a Few Eggs
by MrObvious
Summary: The final pieces are being drawn. But who have the players actually been. A speculative piece of Half Life fiction. My own little Half Life Mystery.  The Game is Afoot!
1. Chapter 1

7 hours ...  
7 hours ...  
only 7 god damned hours  
We lost our world in only 7 hours.

Or ...  
Is gave away more appropriate.  
Of course, it's never really that quick or simple... Is it?  
We thought, we were the top of the food chain.  
We thought, we were the Great White in this sea of a Universe;  
When in fact, we were that tasty sweet Blue Fin tuna.

Black Mesa  
That's where we were demoted, lost our rank on the food chain, and became just another morsel on the Buffet.  
Blinded by Science, Seduced by Power, betrayed by Everything!  
We poked and prodded and finally pried open Pandora's box.  
And out popped unimaginable horrors.

But the funny thing was...  
Those horrors were on the run.  
They wanted what all God's creatures want, and what we unwittingly just fritter away.  
Freedom  
And talk about snatching defeat from the Jaws of Victory!

In their haste to cover their asses and destroy all the evidence; as the door closed, they blew it wide friggin open!  
And that's when the real shark caught the scent of blood, the Combine.  
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to go off on a rant"  
"Hah... this guy, Dennis Miller used to say that as part of his comedy bit. Mom and Dad loved that guy."

"Dennis Miller … comedy bit … what the hell are you talking about" Don muttered.

"I'm sorry" Danni said "its pre-combine stuff. Memories of before. But Hell, you might not even remember a pre-combine. For people living in the cities they're just stories, myths the wackos tell. But once people get out, drink fresh water, stop being fed all that combine propaganda by Breen and are free of the city controls, memories can greatly improve. Brain and psyche can heal. For most recall is better but still cloudy, but many get a good portion back. And for a lucky few, most if not all of their memories will return."

"And then there are people" she stopped for a second, looked at Don and smiled "like myself, that have never lived under the combine. Never drank the water that robs you of your memories and calms you to their daily atrocities, or lived under the suppression field that steals our children.  
But see, there I go again."

Don stood there shaking his head wondering if they'd made the right decision, wondering if this woman was as crazy as she was beautiful.  
But those strange dreams on the road, what were they about, and why did they always seem to slip and fade away when you tried to bring them into focus and remember what they were about. He looked at the beautiful dark skinned woman as she regarded him with her sad eyes.  
He'd never seen a woman so tall. She was almost as tall as him, and at 6' he'd had to slouch to not stand out in the crowd and get the attention of the Civil Protection Force.

Danni smiled, "Hey, don't sweat it. Let me get you a beer and a brat. Afterwards, if you're up to it, maybe you'll join me down in the sewers for some exercise."  
Danni shouldered by him, and strode out the door. The moment they got outside, Don senses were assaulted by an assortment of wonderful scents and sounds.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

No matter how hard the Combine tried to squash them, there were always a few rumors of hope and freedom.  
Did no one see the irony that they guided people west to New Mexico.  
Where Earth's problems had originated.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

What was once known as the Windy City for its lake effect snows is now City 7, now infamous for the toxic wind blowing out of the crater it borders.

It had been a week since the Jeep had run out of gas and been abandoned along the road. They had eaten the last of the food 3 days ago. And even though they had the proper equipment and adequate ability to hunt; the only wildlife in real abundance now was Xenian. And with the Xenian wildlife it was always a toss up on who hunter and who was prey. Besides, none of them were hungry enough to eat a head crab just yet. How long had it taken them to finally agree that snakes and lizards, though disgusting were edible.

The Jeep had gotten them to what they hoped was the right crossroad a week ago; but this supposed last stretch of road had deteriorated rapidly, and their once rock solid decision wasn't so concrete. Chiyo had wanted to turn back, but they had burnt they're bridges when they escaped City 7 and she reluctantly agreed there really was nothing to return to. Besides, they'd come too far and would have run out of fuel anyway. So in the end they just kept going.

The gas lasted for about an hour after they turned at the final crossroad. It was close enough to nightfall that they agreed it was smarter to just sleep in the jeep that first night and depart on foot in the morning. The morning found them packing up the remainder of their supplies and heading out on what they hoped was the final leg of their journey. It was around midday that they noticed a copse of scrub brush just off the road. The area was hazy even in the parched desert air and the plants were green enough to give them hopes of fresh water. As they approached the brush, they heard a scrabbling in the rocks and the squeak of a head crab as it leaped.

Weaponless when they escaped City 7, they had now collected a small arsenal. First they picked up some Machete's from a burned out Ace Hardware in what the sign said was Moline, IL. Then after crossing at great river under an towering Arch they found a sporting goods store. Here they had found several Shotguns and ammo, several aluminum baseball bats and a ton of golf clubs. Chiyo wanted to grab a pair of shoes, but got spooked by something crawling around in the boxes. She ended up just grabbing a box her size and ran out the door. She didn't end up doing too bad though, the box contained a pair of baseball shoes with cleats; but they were her size and a lot more comfortable than her Combine issue work boots. Their final additions included a couple lever action rifles, 2 automatic pistols and a revolver from an abandoned SUV at a place called Stuckey's. The surrounding area was unbelievably flat; it seemed like you could see forever and the fields went off in all directions with no end in sight. The lights were still on inside the building and there were vehicles everywhere, but no people or movement that they could see. There were also a bunch of suspicious looking cords hanging down from the overhead around the pumps and front door. Bottom-line ... It just didn't feel right. And even though it looked like a great place for supplies none of them could get out of there fast enough.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Don sliced the leaping head crab in two with his machete. Jeff put 2 bullets in another as it crawled out from the bushes. Don turned as he heard another squeak, and thank God Chiyo had his back. She leaped, hit the ground with both hands and flipped over putting her new found baseball cleats into the head crab just before it would have landed on Don. Chiyo never stopped moving, she grabbed the machete off her belt and with a flip of her wrist carved up another 2 head crabs leaping out of the brush. The squeaking and scrabbling of rocks continued as more head crabs came out of the weeds. Jack, not to be outdone by a girl, came spinning into the mix twirling 2 aluminum baseball bats. Bats and goo were flying everywhere when Jeff felt the splat hit his back, he dove to his side, came up on his knees and didn't stop working the lever action rifle till it was empty. Don ran over, grabbed Jeff by the shirt and started ripping it off. Jeff started yelling, "whoa boy, what the hell are you….." and that's when he felt the burn. Now they were both ripping and pulling off his shirt as the acid ate both cloth and flesh.

Jack continued swinging the bats combing the brush for anything still alive, as Chiyo and Don inspected Jeff's wounds on his back and legs. "Jeff, you are such an asshole. Just a little more planning man. If you would have just dove to the other side, we'd all be ripping Chiyo's blouse off instead of your damn Tshirt." She gave Jack the "in your dreams look" and flipped him the bird. Jack grinned and walked over to where they were inspecting Jeff. "Sorry guys, there's water over there but Jeff's buddy just screwed the pooch. Chiyo looked over at the dead bullsquid lying in the middle of the water hole now filled with its blood and venom. Jeff began to stand, and went down to a knee. "Damn, that thing must have got me with its tail too. Help me up."

Chiyo looked at Don, "So Beave, what are we gonna do now?" "Who you calling Beave, Princess?" Chiyo smiled up at him, "You I guess... heck I don't know anymore. I've got so much crazy stuff going on in my head since we left City 7. At work, I got wrote up at least once a week for pressing the wrong button on my lathe and screwing up a run of plates, and now I'm doing flips and dicing up headcrabs."

Jeff couldn't walk at all. The bullsquid's tail had torn either the muscle or a tendon in his right leg. So the rest of day was spent collecting lengths of wood and building something they could use as a stretcher. They started out the next day trying to carry Jeff on the stretcher, but it just fell apart. Nothing they built would handle the weight for very long. So after wasting almost the whole day it eventually came down to pulling him on a makeshift litter.

They had no idea how far they walked on each day. Jeff's wounds got worse quickly, infection had set in on both the tail injury to his leg, and the acid burns on his back and legs. Luckily he slept most of the time. But they all knew time was running out, and not just for Jeff. The similarities between a road and the track they were on became less and less every mile. The food ran out on the 5th day, and even though they had agreed snakes or lizards were edible, no one had been able to catch one in 3 days of trying. Dining on a head crab was looking better all the time, after all earth crabs are pretty good, although no one could remember ever eating one. But even after 3 days of hunger their last food conversation ended when Chiyo mentioned that headcrabs looked more like a giant tick than any crab she'd ever seen..

It was on the eighth morning Don noticed a cloud of dust on the horizon. He didn't mention it to anyone till he was sure that it was not just an illusion and was definitely getting closer. Distances were really hard to gauge on the sultry desert plain, so it could have been anywhere from 2 to 20 miles north of the road. But they soon agreed that it indeed was something moving towards them and thought it best not to get caught out in the open. But there was no shelter to be found. The land was the same in every direction, flat dry plains, just rock and scrub grass wherever you looked, and though the road had smoothed somewhat, it was harder to see that it even existed. Hungry, tired and increasingly hopeless they eventually just sat down and waited.

Then it was gone. Don panicked, as scared and tired as he was, it had been something. And even if it was bad, the ordeal would be over. Death began to look better than another day without food. And then their little dust storm topped a ridge about a quarter mile away. He could now make out 3 separate shapes. There were 2 riders on horseback followed close behind by a horse drawn wagon. The first rider began to whistle and wave its arms. That's when Don noticed it was a dark skinned women. Her long black hair drawn back into a braid that he could now see went to her waist and was draped across her lap. The other rider was a humongous male with a shaggy mane of bright red hair, a matching close cropped red beard, and the most freckles he had ever seen.

The wagon must be driven by a midget. He could barely make out the driver. No, not a midget, a child, it was a god damn kid. And try as he might, and as stupid as it sounds he could not remember ever seeing a child before. Don reached up to wipe something off his cheek and realized he was crying.

There was water and some kind of dried meat in the wagon. And though a million questions ran through Don's mind, he couldn't stop eating long enough to say anything. But their visitors didn't mind, they had quickly put Jeff in the back of the wagon and were applying salves and bandages to his wounds. They assured everyone not to worry, that Jeff would be okay. The driver of the wagon never stopped talking. He said his name was Gordon and he was eight years old. "Oh, don't worry about your friend, we have Vortigaunts!" At this statement the other 2 burst out laughing. "Now Gordon, we don't have the Vortigaunts. They just live here too. Do you think your friend would tell other Vortigaunts." "Hey, we have humans."

Don, Chiyo and Jack looked at each other. Things got real quiet for awhile. And Don wondered what the hell they had gotten themselves into.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Don didn't know how much time had passed but he was awoken by the gentle shake from the darkskinned women. She smiled down at him and said, "By the way, I'm Danni and welcome to Mayberry." Her skin was deep bronze with a reddish tint, and her hair was the purest black he thought he'd ever seen. "I'm Dadada Don" he stammered. "Well Don, follow me. I'll take you to your friends. You can get something to eat and get acquainted with everyone. The Vorts are already looking after your hurt friend. Lucky we found you when we did, I'm not sure he would have lasted much longer. You can thank you lucky stars Gordon and Kurt were out hunting midges last night. Kurt sensed you guys out here, another day and you would have passed us by and headed into the deadlands."

"The Vorts have a lot better grasp of time than we do." Danni mused.  
"When I think about the times I've barely missed something. You ever met a person who is always be in the wrong place at the right time, or visa versa. Well the Vortigaunts claim that's its not that far out of our control. This subject comes up a lot when they talk about the Free-man."

Danni sighed, "But now will you just listen to me rattle on."  
"But Damn it, think about it"

7 hours ...  
7 hours ...  
only 7 god damned hours

We lost our world in only 7 hours.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Well that's a wrap... end Chapter One

Please! Read and Review...

It's been a long time since I've tried this, but I"ll make a deal with you.  
please review, even a simple thumbs up or down will do, or if it's not your cup of tea, say so :)  
I'll continue anyway for awhile, but if response is good we'll ride this sucker out and see where she goes.

I promise lots of action.  
I've got some ideas I've harbored for a few years now, and now would be a good time to set them free!


	2. Chapter 2

Don's thoughts were racing, what the hell was going on. He wasn't like this ... He wasn't emotional ... He was a "go with the flow kind of guy"... Hey don't take it personal ... One hand washes the other ... Don't rock the boat ... You can't make an Omelet without breaking a few eggs ... Now wait a minute that is not me ... That's friggin Lenin ... Who the hell is Lenin ... Just what the hell is going on.

What is a memory?  
How do you know if you've forgotten something?  
Why can't I remember the Children?  
Haunted, Violated, Angry, Happy, Sad, and Scared … oh yeah really scared!  
Don's mind was racing, what did they do, what have I done, what do I do …  
and always returning to, and for some reason he senses this is the key… Why can't I remember the Children.

What is memory? (a biochemical recording of the past)  
How do you know if you've forgotten something? (You can remember a piece)  
Why can't I remember the Children? (if I never saw a child, how did I know what one was)( If I never saw a child, how did I immediately recognize one)(if I never saw a child, why do I feel such sadness and such joy when I see one now)  
Why am I so scared? (I've lived under the combine, I lived each day with the daily expectation of misery, loss, pain, and death but I've never been as scared as I am right now and don't know why)

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Danni smiled, "Hey, don't sweat it. Let me buy you a beer and a brat. Afterwards, if you're up to it, maybe you can join me down in the sewers for some exercise."  
Danni shouldered her way by him, and strode out the door. The moment they got outside, Don was assaulted by an assortment of wonderful smells and sounds.

If Don wasn't so confused, if his mind wasn't racing so fast, he knew he would have found Danni's last statement provocative. Even though he sensed how really innocent and possibly naïve it was. What was happening to him, was all this just a result of the past week's events, too much stress? If that was the case he would have gone overboard long ago. The world was not an easy going place anymore. Emotional side effects, he didn't buy into that crap. I remember back when ... when ... when what?... now what was he thinking about... the stress, you know it had been a while since he's done some introspection ... come to think of it he couldn't remember the last time he's done any introspection ... well, I don't believe in that crap anyway ... now wait a second, that doesn't seem right ... it's just the stress of the last week ... next week it will be okay ... as soon as I get this straightened out ... get what straightened out ... now what had he been thinking about again ... oh yeah ... next week it'll all be okay, it'll get straightened out ... Now that was a load of crap! The combine is here nothing is gonna get straightened out next week ... what the hell am I doing here ... why did we leave the safety of City 7 ... the windy city ... Heck windy, the place reeks ... the stinkin friggin city ... and what's that windy city crap anyway... man when I get back to work ... wait a minute I don't work ... in fact they had been on the road for what seemed like ages because of something ... Coming that close to death, should have some emotional side effects ... But then again, he had been living under the Combine where life expectancy was be measured in days, sometimes hours and many, too many times just minutes, and where death was not the worst thing that could happen to you. So no, this really wasn't much more than life as usual.

Slowly Don's mind began to clear a little and his thought's slowed. This thought process seemed familiar ... Now what was he thinking about again ... He looked up just in time to see Danni walk out the door and got his butt in gear. Don hurried to catch up; but her strides were every bit as long as his own. Her long legs carried her body with the grace of a dancer. The long pony tail swung from side to side bouncing from one hip to the other like a metronome, in perfect time with her gait. And that's when the scents hit him.

His senses had been under attack for as long as he could remember. The stench of death and decay permeated every street and alley of City 7, winds blowing off of the crater that used to be Lake Michigan pushed a constant stream of toxic chemicals and poisonous gases through the city streets, yet even with the constant caustic wind, smoke and ruin hung in the air, a constant reminder to the violence that could and would erupt at any second. Not a good place to raise kids. But thanks to the Suppression Field that had ceased to be a concern years ago.

But City 7 was nothing compared to this onslaught! Wow! The cacophony of scent that hit him was almost overwhelming. He had forgotten how good something could smell. Someone was cooking, he smelled roasting meat, smacked his lips in anticipation and wiped his mouth in case he had any drool. Was that cinnamon he smelled, my God yes! He could not remember when he had last smelled cinnamon. And just like that he was transported to his Grandmother's kitchen; she was bent over pulling something hot and sweet from the oven. And flowers by God, he could smell flowers! His mind began racing again, but this time Don just picked up his pace a little to the catch Danni. And with what seemed the most natural act in the world Don reached out and took her hand, and then smiled as he felt her long fingers respond and wrap around his.

Don's eyes scanned the area. They were in a small meadow at the entrance to a large canyon. He immediately saw Chiyo yucking it up with that monstrous horseman with the shaggy mane of red hair that had accompanied Danni earlier that day. Jack was there too, currently doubled over hands clenching his stomach, but he wasn't sick, he was laughing. Don heard someone holler, turned his head that direction and saw Gordon pushing Jeff in a wheelchair across the meadow. How in the hell … just hours before Jeff had been on death's door. And then he froze, all color washing out of his face, his hand automatically slid to the small of his back and drew the pistol it found there.

Suddenly, he was back in Chicago, sprinting down the hallway to Kameryn's room, her screams of panic and calls for help pounded through the house, his head, everywhere! I'm coming, Don't worry, I'm Coming! There was a crackle of electricity, sparks flew and bolts of lightning shot from the floor to the ceiling and back to the floor. And then it was there, it appeared out nothing. One second empty hallway and the next second it was there. He'd never seen anything like it. The creature was mottled green and though there was no clothing to speak of, there was a collar around its neck and what looked to be shackles on its arms. It seemed to be clutching something to its chest. There was a large elliptical red eye that stretched across it's forehead, and several smaller eyes around it. Don was stunned, he froze and stared at the creature and realized as different as it was, it was intelligent and there was something else too...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Don had this terrier a few years back, he's picked it up at the pound. It was a great dog with a lot of personality that wormed it's way into his heart. It used to crack him up to watch her sit in front of the the glass patio doors staring at the squirrels; her attention was so intent and muscles so tense her body would vibrate like a tuning fork. She got a growth on her bottom lip. The vet first described it as a cyst and said it couldn't be removed. Later on he had explained that it was a benign cancer in the lower jaw bone, and the only way to remove it was to remove the lower jaw. And that was unacceptable. It was benign because the cancer wouldn't spread but the growth would get larger, eventually becoming an open sore that would cause both the dog and us problems. He warned Don about this early on and explained in great detail that they should not feel guilty about putting the dog down. But Charlie was part of the family and besides that it wasn't that big of a deal. But over the following year it did grow and eventually did become a problem for both of us. And so finally the day came, and despite the love and guilt Don took her to the vet. He stayed with her till the very end, till the last breath, stroking her fur and talking to her because she deserved no less.

And somehow Don also saw that in this creature standing in front of him, He saw the collar and shackles in a different light. The creature wasn't evil by nature, it had no choice. It was not here because it wanted to be, but because it had to be, because it had a job to do, and it would do the job. He also understood that it clutched a weapon to it's chest and it had appeared directly in front of him, blocking the route to his daughter. Damnit move... But it was too late. The creature had 2 more arms at it's side which it was now raising, there was the crackling sound of electricity and then the world went black.

Don was overcome with fear and self loathing; he fell to his knees and covered his head in shame. And then from all around him, from the very molecules of air, he heard or actually felt a calming voice, only it wasn't just one voice but a chorus of voices that spoke to him as one. "Human, You have nothing to fear. We will not harm you or yours. We have served the same harsh masters. We are sorry for our part, for we serve the same dark mystery. But fear not, the time has come. The time has come to reclaim what was taken. The time has come to take back what was yours. She lives, and it's time for her to return home." And then like lightning or a tornado hitting a barn, the doors to his memories exploded off the hinges and Don remembered everything.

And Don remembered … The sky was really strange that summer evening. Don and Betsy, his wife had sat outside and drank lemonade, while Kameryn had danced around the yard collecting fireflies in a jar. They watched what they assumed to heat lightning or maybe St. Elmoe' Fires as it sparkled and flashed throughout their neighborhood.

And Don remembered … Kameryn's screams of panic and fear late in the night. How he raced down the hallway to her room only to have his way blocked when the Vortigaunt teleported into the hallway.

And Don remembered … Waking up on the hallway floor covered with ash all hair burned from his body. Running to Kameryn's room only to find it empty. Running throughout the house calling her name with only silence as a reply. Running to the bedroom only to find a burnt shell of a corpse where just minutes before he had lain with his wife.

And Don remembered … The days and nights of anguish afterword, the Portal storms, the headcrabs, the zombies, the houndeyes and the bullsquids. The searching, the running, the hiding and the shame of still being alive.

And Don remembered … The coming of the Combine, the 7 hour war, the Overwatch, the building of the Citadel

And lastly, Don remembered forgetting, and at this he began to weep.

Danni knelt down and took Don's hand, ''Don are you okay?"  
Don stood up, and glanced at the Vortigaunt. He flinched unconsciously, "Okay?" He picked up the automatic from where he dropped it seconds before, and tucked it under his belt at the small of his back. "Yeah, I'm okay." Looked the Vortigaunt in the eye, gave it a "tip of the hat" gesture "Yeah, I think I am... In fact thanks to your Vortigaunt friend, I think I'm better than I've been since this whole mess began at Black Mesa. Can't say I'm too happy." And as the revelations of the last few moments started to sink in, he felt his anger start to rise. "But I'm friggin pissed. I get it now. Yeah … I really get it! You know... what you were ranting about a few minutes ago."

"You knew, you were telling me, and like an idiot I smiled and nodded my head, when in fact I was clueless. But you already knew that too, and told me so." Danni started to say something, but Don raised his hand, and said, "Please, let me finish. And when I'm done saying what I need to say, I hope you won't ask me to leave."

"Now, please don't take this the wrong way. But a just a few minutes ago, I was seriously questioning your sanity."And at this the Red Haired giant, let out a bellow that could have raised the dead. From his size, and bearing, he reminded Don of a Viking or maybe a character from the movie "Braveheart." But it would come out later, after everything settled down and introductions were finally made; that his name wasn't Sven or Bjorne, Jorgenson or even Macintosh as Don had imagined. The guys name was Bob Sanders, and he was just another guy, he wasn't a super hero, he was a welder.

"I did think you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on." At this she had blushed deeply;  
(Don caught it and had immediately fallen in love with her. She really didn't know how beautiful she was. Personal or physical attributes weren't something measured and compared, and that made her even more beautiful.)

"But I was really wondering if your might have been in the outback here just little too long." And once again Ole Bob gave out a belly laugh to rattle the china. "But Damnit, it was me." Don looked at his feet and was shaking his head from side to side. "You can't know it when your there. You don't even realize what has been taken. And Chiyo, your wondering about those moves dear… Really, wait till you see this girl, she's Michelle Yeoh on steroids." To which Ole Bob gave another guffaw, and almost knocked Chiyo to the floor with a hearty pat on the back. "But Chiyo, Jack, Jeff it's coming guys, I don't envy you for what's coming your way, but you got to let it come, whatever it is."

Don paused, took a deep breath looked up at everyone present, "The bastards took my daughter." He choked and his eyes filled with tears. "In fact they took her from me twice. First they came and stole her from our home, and then raped my mind and stole her from my memory." Don paused, took another deep breath, But the Vortsigaunts say she's alive, and well … I'm gonna get her." And then under his breath Don muttered, "And somebody's gonna pay."

"Danni is that sandwich and beer offer still open, cause I'm starving." And this time she came over and grabbed Don's hand.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Well there you have it. The end of Chapter 2

Please! Read and Review...

It will only take a few moments :)


	3. Chapter 3

"We've set the Mayberry compound up so the visible footprint is minimal." Danni explained, "This has allowed us to set up a fairly large city and still avoid detection. Don, do you have any idea, where you are?"  
"Well… an hour ago I was totally clueless; but now… my guess would be Texas or New Mexico maybe." Don's eyes widened as his mind started to leap forward and make some improbable connections.  
Danni smiled conspiratorially, "Would you believe… Black Mesa, New Mexico?"  
"But I thought..."  
"It was a smoking pit of radioactive sludge" she teased.  
"Well Yeah."

"First off, no one really knows what happened. But when they nuked the site, portals were opening and closing in a pretty steady stream as the inhabitants of Xen saw a way out. So you could describe this area of the Space-Time continuum as pretty fluid in the least. When the blast hit, there were some pretty exotic energies floating around. And some pretty extraordinary sfuff happened. In fact, There is a 5 mile section underground here that is actually Xen."  
"Now wait a second, you're telling me that 5 miles of the planet Xen was transferred during the blast." Don stated incredulously.  
"Nope" giving him that conspiratory grin again.  
"Hah, didn't think so"  
"No, there is 5 miles of Xen underground."  
"Huh"  
"It wasn't transferred, it's actually Xen"  
"I don't get it."

"There you go, now you're getting in the spirit! Space and time do not necessarily follow the rules we dictate or believe. You have to let go of a lot your old conceptions of reality, many don't apply here. If you go to where the original entrance to facility was, indeed you'll find that pit of radioactive sludge. But there were other exits from the facility. Enter from one of these, and you may still find Black Mesa."  
Don shook his head, "If the place was nuked it was nuked, I don't believe the scientists at Black Mesa has something strong enough to shield themselves from the blast, otherwise why not protect the whole facility."  
Rather than react Danni just smiled, "Don, I understand what your saying and agree with you, but your still thinking in those old terms. But let me just throw a couple of things at you. What if Black Mesa was moved or what if it was't here when the blast happened? Or what if the blast hadn't happened yet, or what if the blast was moving out from it's center very, very, very slowly. Remember, we're talking Space & Time here."  
A little light started to grow in Don's eyes, but he'd not given up yet, "What makes you believe it's still there?"

"Don, I believe it because I've been there. This is big, something is going on here and it's not just about us. Something unexplainable happened and is still happening. I personally believe that although it's very unusual, that it's still following the fundamental laws of the universe. We just don't know what they are, because either they have never happened within our time frame of history or we have not been able to recognize them. Now, think about this one Big Boy. We periodically find someone at a work station just pecking away at the keys trying to find their files or continue their work. And for these folks the resonance cascade has never happened or has just begun."  
"Has anyone ever, huh come out that survived? That was a stupid question," Don said, "and that's not what I meant anyway"  
"I think I know what you're asking, and the answer is no. There has never been a double. But there is something bigger than all of us going on here. Cause these new survivors, as we call them, are important and needed. Each one has held a key figuratively speaking. Their knowledge or skills, or hell… it could be anything. The point is, when something has been needed, Black Mesa has provided."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

They had been walking towards a stand of small trees. Danni stopped and waved her hand as if to let Don walk in front of her, "Watch your step" and just like that the stairs and descent began. What Don had thought to be small trees were the tops of trees that grew far below. The stairs had been carved (God knows when from their worn appearance.) out of the canyon wall. "My dad discovered this area during the Black Mesa incident. He was a member of an elite military task force sent in to neutralize the situation after everything went to hell. His squadron never made it though. They were shot down by some Manta Ray like thing en route. He was the only one who survived. His parachute brought him down in that meadow back there. Dad was a Kiowa Indian and his family had been practitioners of battle medicine down through the centuries. I only mention that because I think it's one of the keys to all this"

Don's jaw dropped as they descended the stair. It was unbelievable, city was right and it was ancient. It was built out of the canyon wall and extended in every direction as far as the eye could see. "This is our first stop" Don saw a Table of food set out before them. There was a large plate of sausages and buns, corn on the cob, large pots of stews and beans, plates of fruit, bowls of berries, pitchers of drinks and coolers filled with ice containing a whole host of cans and bottles. "Domestic or Import, Sir Knight... Black Mesa will provide. Personally I like a Corona and a slice of Lime." When he turned to her, Danni was performing some hand gymnastics with a lime and a balisong (butterfly blade). The balisong flipping open and closed, the blade rolling over the back of her hand and across her palm, across her knuckles, the blade and handles spinning, and constantly clicking open and closed. Her hands and fingers were incredibly fast. "Beautiful and simply the best Bar Maid I've ever seen!"

"Why, thank you sir" she beamed as Danni handed him a bottle of corona with a slice of lime in the neck. Before he could grab it though, Chiyo snatched it, tipped it up and finished the whole bottle. She smacked her lips and gave a out a satisfied "Ahhhhhh"  
"I hate when you do that, Danni is there another one of those, and show that knife stuff to Chiyo."  
Danni grabbed another lime from the cooler and went through the balisong routine again.  
Chiyo held out her palm, "May I?"

Danni performed a ceremonial open and closed balisong routine with the butterfly blade flipping open and closed and rolling all around her hand at incredible speed, it ended with the knife closed in Chiyo open palm with Danni's hand palm down being drawn away, as she pulled her hand away she turned it over and magically another lime was in her palm. Chiyo quickly went through what looked to be the same hand gymnastics Danni had. When finished, she looked as stunned as everyone else. And with that... the floor show began.

The alcove where the food had been set up started to fill up with people, laughing and talking, everyone just milled about conversing and watching the 2 girls. Danni would perform a routine with the balisong and piece of fruit, hand the it to Chiyo who duplicate it move for move. Each routine was faster and more complex, a second balisong had appeared, so now they did not have to pass the same one back and forth. Danni reached into her back pocket and pulled out another and started a 2 hand routine. And then Don heard it, the clicking of the balisongs created a little tune. "Is that just me or are you doing that on purpose." Don asked. "My Dad really liked this song and one day when I was playing around I just started to hear it in my head and in the balisongs. I can't even really tell you how I do it. I just do it" Danni shrugged and said "Enough, I'm hungry"

Jack asked, "Did these brats come from Black Mesa too"  
"Nope" Bob beamed, "You can thank me for those. They are equal parts ground Houndeye, Bullsquid and Headcrab with my own set of seasonings I developed when I worked at a Delicatessen."  
"Man, a simple 'Ancient Chinese secret' would have sufficed for me." Don coughed.  
"And miss the look on your face…" Bob chortled, "No way."  
"There is an abundance of Xenian wildlife in the sewers, and Danni's exercise and training sessions provide an abundance of carcasses. The carcass retrieval is part of an acolyte's training. Instead of cutting them into chops and steaks, we have found that grinding them into sausage makes them easier to stomach. However a Bullsquid rib steak rivals any sirloin I've ever eaten"

"Stop… Stop! This is more information than I need" Don exclaimed, "But... I understand the invitation for exercise better though. I have to say I'm a little disappointed I was hoping that invitation was for something different." And Danni's blush was almost purple. Don realized his earlier instinct had been right on target.  
"You can get your own Damn beer next time, Mister." Danni said feigning hurt and dismay as she indeed handed him another Corona, which Chiyo promptly snatched, tipped up and downed. The girls turned toward each and slapped a high five.  
"Would you stop that" Don whined.

Danni turned to Chiyo, "So where did you get your training?"  
"I have no idea. I've never done anything like that until about a month ago. Actually it was probably around month after we left City 7. Man, that seems ages ago."  
"I see..." Danni said.  
"Okay, fill up a plate join me at that table in the corner. It's time for some serious talk. Have Gordon, Jeff and Kurt got here yet?" Danni turned to a heavy set asian man, "Uncle, would you send them our way when they arrive."

A few minutes later Gordon showed up pushing Jeff in the wheelchair escorted by a Vortigaunt. "This is Gordon's friend Kurt, you can thank him for your lives, if he hadn't of sensed you out on the plain last night… Well, I'll just leave it at that." Danni said, introducing the Vortigaunt.  
"A Vort with a human name?" queried Jack.  
"Not exactly, their actual names don't necessarily roll off the human tongue, so with their approval we've taken to giving them nicknames"  
"Why Kurt" Don asked.  
"Did you ever read 'Slaughter House Five'" Gordon beamed.  
"Ah ha" Don laughed "Kurt Vonnegut, Kurt Vortigant; that's rich, Gordon did you come up with that."  
"Yeah, he did" Danni said "You're going to run into a lot of that around here. Like naming this place, Mayberry, like the town from the old Andy Griffith Show."  
"I was wondering about that" Jack said.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"No better place to start than the beginning" Danni started, "and what happened at Black Mesa that day."

"The Vortigaunts have helped us fill in some of the facts we couldn't have known including how Gordon Freeman won their freedom. The Vorts (as you have taken to calling them) had been enslaved by a creature called the Nihilanth. They were fitted with collars that allowed the Nihilanth to control their actions. It was simple as pleasure and pain, reward and punishment. It did not necessarily control their thoughts only their actions. But after centuries of enslavement they had little independent thought. The combine invaded the Vortigaunts home-world and with the intent to Combine-ize the Vortigaunts and enslave the Nihilanth, but the Nihilanth was doing it's best to escape that. Xen was their last place to run, so when the resonance cascade began the Nihilanth and all other life on Xen, sentient or not saw it's chance for escape."

"Time is fluid. We don't know that it can be stopped, but it can definitely be slowed. Maybe it's because we have seen no active evidence of it, but unlike a lot of science fiction it seems to be one way. We believe that is what has happened to Black Mesa. Mayberry is impossibly old, it pre-dates mankind; who knows, it may have been a city of the mythical "Old Ones" HP Lovecraft wrote of. But somehow it has remained hidden, even with a major scientific facility bordering it. Like I have said, there is more going on here than just us. It could be possible, that the city actually attracted Black Mesa to it. The Vortigaunts say that Xen is a border world, a weak spot or bottleneck of existence. At one time the inhabitants of this city may have used Xen themselves to pass between dimensions."

Don held up his hand like he was in class and was asking to speak. Danni said, "I know this is a lot to digest, but save your questions, I probably won't be able to answer them anyway. However, the Vorts might. Like I said earlier, My Dad was a member of a team sent to clean up the Black Mesa mess. He was a full-blooded Kiowa, a true Native American whose ancestry had practiced battle medicine. And that's a whole other story, so please save the questions... Don." He put his hand back down like a scolded child. "And don't pout either, however cute you are when you do it." "God, get a room, you two!" Chiyo squawked. Bob let out another belly laugh and Chiyo turned impossibly quick, "Don't you dare!" before he could slap her on the back again.

"The city is huge, in all the years we have been here we have not been able to explore it in totality. And that could be by design. It is like a Labyrinth, in that you think you are walking in one direction, and suddenly find yourself back where you started 5 minutes earlier. But father was drawn here, actually he was drawn to..." Danni pointed over the side and down, " Down there, at the bottom, he found a corridor dug into the rock. It was dug with some kind of machine or process which fused the surrounding rock into something akin to glass. The corridor continues for 6 to 7 thousand feet. He said the air was blowing out of from it, and that he could hear voices. Still attempting to complete his mission, he ran down the corridor which ended abruptly at a wall. The wall was covered with a series of glyphs. He could hear panicked voices on the other side, not what they were saying only the panic and fear in them. And though he wanted to preserve as much of the wall as he could, to possibly decipher at a later date, his desire to preserve life, or take it if that was needed to fulfill his mission, because he had been sent in to clean up the mess (okay, you know the drill - You can't make an Omelet without breaking a couple eggs - he was an assassin). Something pushed him, time was critical. He yelled to get away from the wall and rolled a grenade up to it. When it exploded it had completely pulverized the wall (sorry boss, no deciphering), And what was on the other side you ask, well... my mother and I. We were dying. Some of Dad's cronies had forced poison gas into the air system to handle the witnesses."

"At this point, my father's mission changed to something he was more accustomed to and comfortable with, preserve and protect." In the back someone began whistling the theme to the "Twilight Zone." It was Jeff.

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

end of Chapter 3

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	4. Chapter 4

"My God" Don blurted out, "You were here, at Black Mesa, at the beginning?"

"Yeah" Danni said, "I don't remember much though, I was only 13. I was getting ready for school. Mom had left a few minutes earlier for the Tram to substation 3. The Tram from the Family dorm complex to school was supposed to leave 15 min later, but something weird was going on. The lights flickered off and on, the intercom was sporadic, there were constant announcements of shutdowns, power failures, tram delays, and accidents. I normally walked the Vance's daughter Alyx to the Tram station, but she hadn't shown up yet. Then Mom burst in, saying 'we've got to get out of here, go to your room and grab some stuff to take.' I tried to ask what was going on, she just yelled,' there's no time, just do it. I've got to get hold of your father'."

… … … … …

"Living at Black Mesa was a real bitch. Security was so tight that getting permission to leave was damn near impossible, and you couldn't have visitors. Though Dad was in the military and had very high security clearance it wouldn't touch Black Mesa. Dad had been in the military a long time and dealing with this kind of stuff was his job; in spite of the promises, he had no illusions about how much he would see his family if Mom took the position. Once we got to Black Mesa our contact with the outside would be severely limited. Once we got to Black Mesa all our expenses would be taken care of, and with Dad's work he always has a place provided to stay. Even knowing what they knew they felt the opportunity was too good to pass up. The salary was tremendous, the fact that they not have any family expenses, only income for several years; and then the experience she would gain and people she would be working with, she would be set for life. So they sold our home and put the money in the bank and we took the plunge. The night before we left for Black Mesa he gave her a satellite phone. "Just in case" he had said. Dad always said that the Mafia wasn't the only one that could give you an offer you couldn't refuse. Then mom burst in, muttering about something in the hallway and yelling, 'Where's the damn Sat phone, I can't find the phone'. That's when the gas started coming through the vents. Next thing I remember was Dad holding an oxygen mask to my face and then puking my guts out." Danni hesitated for a moment, "Mom never woke up."

"Okay… all this is just too much to tell right now."

"Here is the Bottom-line… Several major events had just taken place. Plots we hatched by several different sources. The Resonance Cascade was started and the Earth was invaded in an attempt to not only conquer Earth but escape the Combine. But during the invasion, Gordon Freeman destroyed the Nihilanth and the Vortigaunts were freed. But the Resonance cascade has now brought the attention of the Combine to Earth. And last but not least a Nuclear device was detonated at the Black Mesa facility"

"Black Mesa or 'a' Black Mesa is traveling in slow time. To the world it is a smoking pile of radioactive goo. But you can get inside of 'a' Black Mesa through the sewers, but sewers are filled with all kinds Xenian wildlife. It is not a trip for the faint hearted. That Black Mesa is filled to rim with Xenians too. You can also get to 'a' Black Mesa through the corridor at the canyon floor. And that Black Mesa is Xenian free. I have no idea why or how. The Black Mesa you visit through the sewers is the same as the one on the canyon floor but it's not." "Hold onto your hat Don, and I'll explain." "It isn't just that one has Xenian wildlife and the other one doesn't. If you go to my Moms work station in the Llamba section through the sewers, the stuff setting on top her desk (books, coffee cup, papers, photos, etc) may or may not be the same as the ones you would find if you went to it through the corridor. I'm not talking about any particular desk or area here; any desk, or locker, or safe, or filing cabinet may or may not be the same. The are several sewer entrances too, each one has a different possibility. So, we have Black Mesa's they are the same but different; what the differences are, why they are different, and how those changes occurred are another mystery."

"And one more thing, our Black Mesa, the one you reach through the corridor, is waking up."

… … … … …

"Okay, now follow my lead when we get in there. This is not play, it's not a simulation, these guys will kill you if you let them. I don't want you to get hurt. But don't get in my way, and don't shoot me. Now, please listen, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Don't get killed because of your friggin ego, I like the world better with you in it."

Danni was wearing a skin tight black suit. She said it was made out of material they found in Black Mesa. It felt like Lycra but the strength and puncture resistance was better than Kevlar. Her shoes/boots, were made out of the same stuff, they looked almost like socks but had a place that separated the big toe from the other toes. Hanging in the middle of her back was a Nickel plated Ruger Mini 14 with the stock collapsed. Strapped to both ankles were orange 10' ceramic throwing knives. Crossing that ample chest of hers were 2 belts, kinda like bandoliers, they held an assortment of Shuriken. On her right hip was a holster that held a Glock 20 converted to shoot 50 caliber shells. The ammo for both rifle and pistol were developed in the Black Mesa Labs. They were Titanium jacketed Uranium tipped explosive bullets, supposedly one could pierce the skull of an elephant, and then after it exploded; well it was all over but the crying. They were designed to be one shot kills, when something was shot with one, it was not supposed to rise again. And last but not least, on either side of the mini 14 hung scabbards, one slightly larger than the other. The larger one held her Mother's Katana, a 500 year old blade allegedly created by Muramasa; the other was a blade of her fathers, a very similar Katana and a long blade itself, but a full foot shorter than her Mother's. As a finishing touch she covered the knot of her braid with a stainless steel sleeve, razor sharp blades were arranged all around it, similar to the tip of a hunting arrow.

Don figured the way the guns sounded, what else would you need. So he said all he needed was guns, and Danni gave him the same guns and ammo as she carried.

Compared to the dry desert terrain around it, the sewer entrance looked like a park. Flowers and vines had sprung up all around the filthy waterhole and moss covered the slime and sludge at the entrance. Don stepped into the muck and sunk to his ankle; he cussed pulled his foot out and stood on one foot muttering shaking the mud off his foot. Danni turned around and flashed him a disapproving look, "Shhhhh... wait here" she whispered. She ran lightly across the moss to the gate, and opened it the rest of the way, then waved him forward. He stepped exactly where she had assuming it would also support his weight but each time he stepped the muck and slime would cover his foot dripping off in chunks as he took the next step. "Man, what did you eat?" she teased, waving her hand in front of her nose, after he finally caught up. "Wait here."

On the other side of the gate was a circular room approximately 50ft across. Water was flowing into the room from two large corridors which joined directly opposite the entrance. Along each wall several smaller corridors intersected and emptied their contents. Sewage also dripped from a series of 3ft pipes set at about head high all around the collection area. Danni did this hop/skip/jump thing that took her to the top of a mound at the room's center. The moment she landed things began moving. The skittering of claws on cement could be heard coming from the pipes. "Get Ready" She took a yellow flare she'd pulled from God knows where, and threw it so it stuck to the ceiling bathing her in yellow light. For the rest of his life he would remember that moment, Danni standing on that mound in all her statuesque glory with the biggest damn shit eating grin he'd ever seen.

Before he could even get the mini pulled around and ready, she had thrown a Shuriken down every pipe. Deep thumps resounded from each of them as the Shuriken exploded; flaming headcrabs, chunks and goo started flying out of the ends of the pipes and then the moaning began. Zombies were appearing everywhere, rising out of the slime and shadows. Danni leaped forward and flipped through the air drawing her blades, as she came down she drew the Katana across the head of the first zombie and neatly sliced the headcrab in two, falling on either side of the crumpling body. She planted both feet on its chest, pushed off, spun and snapped her head to one side, her braid flew around decapitating a zombie rising from the floor. She shoved the Katana through the headcrab pushed off and propelled herself into a flip coming down with both blades cross ways taking out another as it reached for her. Don was mesmerized till a moan from behind him woke him from his stupor. He brought up the mini and shot the zombie in the chest, it blew back against the wall and exploded but now the headcrab needed a new host and leaped. An orange throwing knife came out of the dark and impaled the headcrab to the wall. "Headshots, ya big Dufus, shoot'em in the head" she laughed. Don turned just in time for the next zombie to reach for him, he raised the mini with one hand like a large pistol and shot, the headcrab exploded and the headless corpse dropped to the ground. "BooYa" he screamed and drew himself up to start causing some real damage. As he did the world around him seemed to change, the sounds got a little crisper, his eyes seemed to sharpen even in the dim light, everything seem to slow, and he began to see everything in the room as if from outside his body. He caught sight of Danni out of the corner of his eye. Her body seemed aglow, she was flying sideways through the air into 2 more zombies, each foot connected and removed the headcrab. She moved faster than he thought humanly possible, spinning, kicking, flipping her head from side to side the yellow light from the flare glinting off the 2 swords and blade in the hair. Don got into a groove, he put the mini in his left hand and drew the pistol. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the mini had been converted to full auto. He'd fire a burst with the mini churning everything into paste and then take a zombie out with a pistol headshot. Danni was a blur, at one point he could have swore he saw her running on the wall. And then it was over... nothing could be heard but Danni's deep rythmic breathing and the drip of water.

"Don't move" she said, "stand perfectly still." She walked over to him held her sword above her head and said, "Going up." Then reached out and pulled the chord hanging next to him. He recognized it immediately as the same as the chords hanging down from the overhead at the Stuckey's. Danni slowly rose as the Barnacle slowly drew her up and impaled itself on her sword. She calmly let go, and dropped to the ground, she grabbed his arm and tugged him along with her. "You might want to step out of the way" she laughed as the contents of Barnacle's stomach came pouring out onto the ground.

"Not bad" she said, "Not bad at all. At least you didn't run screaming like Bob his first time out."  
"Your Kidding aren't you, that big palooka Bob!"  
Danni was nodding and grinning from ear to ear "He cried like a baby," she laughed, "and don't let him tell you any different."  
They were both laughing, when he said, "How do you do that thing with the muck?"  
"Huh" she said and tilted her head to one side.  
"You don't sink"  
She smiled and said with a mock accent, "Ancient Chinese Secret!"  
and they were both laughing again.

"Man, you smell like shit! Time to get you a shower." She held her nose and walked into the sun.

... ... ... ... ...

end Chapter 4

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	5. Chapter 5

Chiyo hadn't been able to sleep, her brain was all jumbled up. Don's words, the way he had broken down in front of them, collapsed under the weight of his returning memories. It ran through her head over and over, she just wanted to shut it off. But recently it felt like her mind was not her own. She'd get flashes of faces, she say things and use words she didn't know the meanings to. But she must have used them correctly, nobody noticed, nobody made fun of her. She using catch phrases and slang she hadn't before. Sometimes she'd look back on a conversation she had and think that it didn't even sound like her. But no one noticed anything different. It wasn't like she was acting crazy or being rude. Who was she really? She wished she had Danni's Balisong right then. The butterfly blade had seemed so comfortable, so right, her hand ached for it and she could almost feel it in her grasp. She visualized the blade and handles opening and closing, spinning and clicking as they slid over knuckles and across her palms. The handles and blade flying back to connect with the back of her hand with a little thump. Her fingers grasping and twirling making little adjustments. She shook her head and drove the images from her mind. She thought she understood self hypnosis right them, cause she definitely could feel her consciousness going somewhere.

They had given them rooms on the cities top level, very close to the alcove where they has eaten. Even though they all seemed comfortable with the place, supposedly the city was deceptive and it was real easy to get lost. She'd been tossing and turning for hours it seemed and was not any closer to sleep. Finally she got up and went outside. She planned on going up to the meadow and sitting in the grass. Those were the simple luxuries that been lost in their lives under the Combine. As she walked through the alcove where they had eaten she spied a push broom against the wall. She walked over to it and spun the handle out of the broom head. Then bounded up the stairs to the meadow. Chiyo walked about 20 feet crossed her feet and folded her legs down into a lotus position laying the broomstick across her lap. Her closed her eyes and tilted her head back. Then Chiyo took a deep breath and opened them to the stars. Supposedly man had always thought visitors would come from the stars, dropping from the sky like angels. And though they had come from so very far away, they had not dropped from the sky as angels but appeared from the bowels of Black Mesa like parasites.

Chiyo yawned and stretched; laid back, brought her legs up and pointed her toes to the sky; then just continued on over and stood up in one fluid movement. She held the broomstick up vertically at her side and began to spin it. She just stood there spinning it around and around, then she tucked the tip down and brought it around her back grabbed it with her other hand brought it out to her other side and spun it around and around. Chiyo brought the broom stick out in front of her and began spinning it with both hands, faster and faster. Then it was spinning in a figure 8 from side to side passing it between her left and her right. She brought the tip down and tucked it behind her back grabbed it with her other hand brought it back out and up in front of her again once again spinning it with both hands. Soon she was spinning it around her neck and through her legs, adding jumps and flips, she would drive it into the ground and use it to propel herself higher into the air. The world slipped away and nothing existed but Chiyo and the staff; and then she could see herself down in the meadow twirling the staff, flipping end over end down the meadow. "Whoa cowgirl!" and there was Bob. She done flips until she was right at the top of the stairs, which was also the moment Bob reached the top.

"Couldn't sleep" they both said at exactly the same time and then laughed. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much and felt so comfortable. And then started crying, because she couldn't remember anything, and that was the problem. But the thing was… why hadn't been it been a problem before. Her sadness came from all the years past when it hadn't mattered. When she had just existed. Bob put his arms around her, she buried her face in his chest and sobbed. He just held her like that. Eventually it slowed and they sat down on the top stair and gazed out over the tree tops and the city.

They sat there quietly for a long time, then Bob said, "I was being transferred from City 6 to City 13. I have no idea where either of those places are now or how I originally ended up in City 6. But I was on one of the transfer trains when it came off the tracks. You see they are all automated, no one in the engines, or at least nothing close to human. The Ant Lions had burrowed through the area so much that when the train crossed it, the whole thing collapsed.

I'd been thrown clear but hurt my ankle and couldn't stand. Everyone was up running and yelling, the Overwatch had the shockstems out putting everyone down when the Ant Lions stormed out of the ground. It was a massacre; none of them had a chance, not even the Overwatch. I couldn't move; I had to just lay there and watch. And of course because I wasn't moving, I was left alone. After it was over, I started to move myself away. I knew any kind of regular movement would draw their attention to me, I developed this crawl/drag/roll movement that didn't seem to bother them. So I'd been slowly moving away doing my crawl/drag/roll. Heck at this point I don't even know if I could walk, I do know I was too damn scared to try. After about 2 days of that I heard water. I crawl/drag/rolled my way that direction and found a stream. I pushed the largest piece of wood I could find to the edge and climbed on. God must have been with me, cause you see I hadn't escaped their area yet, and I'd been making what was probably a pretty good racket for them fellas under the ground. As I floated away from the shore a half dozen topped the hill. They don't get to close to the water though. Don't know why for sure, could hazard a couple guess's but it really doesn't matter. And I don't waste time on stuff that doesn't matter anymore.

So I floated down that stream. I saw some pretty strange stuff. I got bounced around several times as things in the water pushed my log around and tried to turn it over. I don't know how far I went down that stream, but I was for damn sure not putting my hands or feet in that water to steer. So I just floated until I finally got stuck on a log jam. I was pretty weak at that point, but my ankle had healed and I could walk again. Problem was I didn't know where to walk to. The first night out of the river I thought I saw a glow off in the horizon, so as soon as it was light that's where I headed too. I was weak and hungry and didn't even care if I was headed back to the Combine at that point.

On the third day I topped a rise and there was a gas station. Nothing else, just a gas station at an intersection of 2 roads. The candy machines inside weren't empty yet so I broke into them and cleaned them out. There was no running water but a lot old stale pop in cans, so I drank that. I found a dilapidated old couch in the back, laid down and fell asleep, simple as that. I don't know how many times I woke and slept but it was several. That couch was the most comfortable thing I ever slept on. And I slept like a rock, no dreams just rest. Then one morning I woke up and knew it time to move on. That's when I finally had a look around. Now I know that you aren't old enough to know what this is, but there was a shed behind the gas station, and inside the shed there was an old AMX. That was a sports car built by American Motors. Had a 5.9 V8 in it. In fact Chrysler bought the company just for that motor.

I found enough gas in cans, and was able to siphon enough out of the station tanks to fill her up. Of course the battery was dead, but it was standard shift so I just start pushing it down the highway to get it rolling, then jump in and pop the clutch. I don't know how long I did that either, but it's not like I had anything else to do. and then finally I popped the clutch and it started, and off I went.

Seemed like every time I was about to run out of gas or food or water, I'd come across another intersection and another gas station. I started to see things written on road signs, on pads of paper in abandoned buildings, smudged on dirty windows, and even on the highway itself and they all pointed to here.

One thing about that car, it had a killer 8 track stereo. I found 3 tapes in the glove box, Inagaddadavida by Iron Butterfly, Dog and Butterfly by Heart, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I was racing down that same road you folks was on, when Danni found me. Of course I was making a hell of a lot more noise than you guys. Mistal Wind was just a blasting on the stereo and I was cutting donuts in the middle of the road. I was almost out of gas, but that didn't worry me, the old AMX hadn't let me down yet. So here I am cutting donuts and I look up and here is this dark skinned angel on a horse. I slam on the brakes pop out the tape and you know what she says?

"Nice Car"

I don't have a story like Don's and probably not like yours either.  
I know I was a welder for GM when they had a plant in Anderson IN. One year they just up and closed down the factory. Left us high and dry, sure they gave us some kind of severance and early retirement if you wanted it. But hell I was too young and important. I started drinkin and driftin, working here and there, grocery stores, gas stations, bars, the delicatessen, and then one day I was on a Train being transferred from one City number to another City number.

I wish I could say something or do something to make you feel better.  
But I know that nothing ever worked for me, I had to find my own way out of the darkness.  
But this is a good place.  
I don't think it was always a good place to be in the past, in fact I have a feeling it was downright evil at one point, but not anymore.  
Yeah, this is a good place to be.  
My name is Bob and it's a damn pleasure to meet you.  
Bob hugged her.  
Chiyo looked up Bob, "I just love Creedance, could I ride in your car someday."  
Bob looked down at her, "Sure, but your gonna have to push."

They both lay back on the grass and fell to sleep.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

end Chapter 5

another one bites the dust

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	6. Chapter 6

Don had always been an early riser, and prided himself on his internal alarm clock. He had never been late to work because he was up dressed and ready to go hours before he needed to leave. It was his daily routine, and by the time anyone else had gotten up, he was awake and clear headed. So when he opened his eyes to bright sunlight pouring through the window, the first things that ran through his head were all the things that could have happened while he slept. Don hurriedly got dressed and ran out the door, with nowhere to go. Once he realized this he felt a little better, Don looked at his wrist out of habit and knew nothing would be there; he hadn't had a watch for awhile. But he was starting to get his act together, he shook his head and swore this wouldn't happen again, this was exactly why he liked having that extra time in the morning. He could get rid of any morning confusion before he even saw anyone else.

By the time he walked to the alcove, where he expected he would find everyone eating, he had pretty much cleared his head. He knew Jack would be on him in a heartbeat, and had already been running through a series of witty comeback lines for any smart-ass comment Jack could hit him with. He walked into the alcove and there was only a few stragglers. He shook his head and laughed at himself, what a Dufus. He knew then that he had woken up like always, before anyone else. It was just because he woke up somewhere unfamiliar that he thought he's overslept. That's when he heard all the racket up in the meadow; all the confusion, worries and insecurities came back and did a few more laps. What a Dufus.

It was his fault, they had inadvertently led the Combine right to Danni's front door. Don swore to himself, damnit they should have been more careful. They were probably up there planning a defense right now, why hadn't Danni sent for him. He reached down and was reassured by the feel of the Glock Danni had given him. Don bounded up the stairs to the meadow and was greeted with music... "Don't go around tonight, Well, it bound to take your life, There's a bad moon on the rise." That was… Creedance. And there were a bunch a people up here too, he had overslept. People were lined up around the edge of the meadow watching a car go around in circles while the car stereo blared "Bad Moon Rising" Danni was standing there too, and she had both balisongs flying around her hand, because that was it, her Dad's song, "Bad Moon Rising." Made perfect sense!

The car was starting to slow down, he could hear the motor hitch and stutter, it coughed and bucked a couple times and came to a halt. The passenger door flew open and Bob rolled out onto the ground laughing. Chiyo leaned over from the driver seat and was yelling out the door at him, "Out of gas... What do you mean out of gas! You take me out on a date and run out gas in a field, well you can forget that Bucko!

Bizarre was all he could think.

… … … … … … … … … …

They had settled into the same corner table where they had eaten the day before. It was quiet now, almost too quiet. Everyone was politely munching, and for this group that at the least was irregular. Finally Don couldn't take it anymore, he had to bring it up, it was eating at him too much, "Listen folks, this is just getting too bizarre. That scene this morning, the music, the Creedance, it was spooky. A little Deja Vu, some serendipity, synchronicity whatever you want to call it; its hip, its Kool. But this... in one day we've had more coincidence than you might see in a year. It ain't right, it just ain't right. Danni, when I saw you playing that song with your butterflies, I have to tell you, it scared the hell out of me. You know, yesterday in the sewers, I was pretty nervous for awhile; but when I realized how much firepower we had I got exhilarated, pumped. But this shit scares me."

Danni nodded, "Yeah I know exactly what you are saying, and that's what I've been trying to get across to you guys. Something is happening, and we need to have our eyes open; because something either really wonderful or incredibly terrible is going to happen soon. The time for beating around the bush is over. I really don't give a damn if you think that I'm crazy. I know what I see. The Deja Vu, Synchronicity, and coincidence that Don was talking about, a little is... ,well, normal. But this..., what we're experiencing... is Power. It's hard to just come right out and say it, because there is no proof and no reason behind it; but Black Mesa was saved. When that nuclear device was detonated "Something" that either had the ability or the know-how." Danni paused and looked around the table, making eye contact with each one ensuring that she had their attention. "Something, put the whammy on Space and Time. And that my friends took a lot of Power. If anyone see's it any other way, then you tell me." No one spoke, Bob didn't laugh, Don didn't raise his hand. So Danni continued, "We have to become detectives. I believe we are the only people in the position to do it." The mumbling and fidgeting began again as the moment was lost. "But, before everybody starts chiming in, give just me a few more minutes. I'm going to bring up some points that get hinted at but never said."

"The Nihilanth lost the most at the time of the Resonance Cascade, because it lost, It's dead, it's gone. But he exacted his revenge and sent the call to the Combine, so you see in actuality the Combine are the newest players on the field. Out of all the protagonists that we know of, the planet and people of Earth have lost the most. I said yesterday that several plots were hatched on that fateful day, it's far worse than that, and we need to find just how far down the rabbit-hole goes (Sorry, couldn't resist the Matrix reference). We are being drawn, we are being used. Look at what happened in stage 1 of their plan, at the price the Earth has paid. Something tells me that their plan is right on schedule. How much more is this going to cost us. The recurring themes, shared experiences, and our similar trains of thought are not only spooky but they are our clues, we need the find the threads that bind us and use them either when the time is right or before time runs out. We've talked and shared a ton of stuff in the last 24 hours... One phrase keeps popping up. It seems Ominus that I've heard it at least 3 or 4 times since yesterday and hope its not a hint of what it to come." Once again she paused long enough to get everyone's attention. "If you want to make an Omelet, You must be willing to break a few eggs."

Surprisingly the first one to speak was Jack, "Where do we start? It's not like the Combine is going to let us go through their filing cabinets. Besides, they could just be opportunists and have nothing to do with our mess." Danni shook her head, "I don't think so, they are a piece to our puzzle, if only because of the Nihilanth. But where we start is simple, us. We are our biggest clues. Where is Don's daughter, the Vorts sense her. And how do we start? We train, Body and Spirit. That is what makes us human, and that is what we have that the Combine don't. As we train our bodies and spirits I believe our answers will come. My mother was Korean, she was training me in the martial arts before I could walk. The Martial Arts are more than kicking and punching, the are a way of life, a way to tune into the universe. I already have mentioned my father. He was a Kiowa Indian, another spiritual race, and he is the one who was originally drawn to the city. He and ancestors were practitioners of battle medicine. I don't want to delve into that right now, I only mention it as another clue and line of investigation. You all have the seeds. Don, I sensed your aura when you arrived, that is why you received the exercise invite." "Now, don't pout, let me get thru this and you can flirt with me some more." even Gordon started snickering. "When we went into the sewers, I saw it. There came a time when you changed in battle, you saw the world in your minds eye." "Yeah... your right it was like in those video games, the third person ones, it's like I was outside of my body, I forgot all about that." And then Danni looked directly at Chiyo. "And you girl, power oozes off you. I saw it immediately, with Don I saw the hint the potential. Chiyo, you are a warrior and possibly the most powerful person here. And now we come to Jack. I sense something about you, but honestly I don't know what it is, but I've heard about your affinity for aluminum bats." And that's when Jeff sauntered over with a big plate of fruit and no wheel chair.

"Vort's said I'm 100%" he smiled, "I wasn't that bad off after all." But they all knew better. He was probably only hours away from death when Danni, Bob and Gordon found them.  
"Well great to have you back on point. "Don smiled at him, "I think you're just in time too. I think Danni is getting ready to give us our marching orders."  
Danni smiled at everyone and said, "And I now I'm gonna tell you one of the weirdest, wonderful things about Mayberry. We have no taxes, no government, no censors, no hierarchy, no classes period."  
Jack said, "What, nobody lives here. I got the impression that this was the place that people that escaped, found."  
"It is!" Danni laughed, "But somehow it just works. Maybe we are all like those animals you get from the pound, just grateful to get another chance. But, knock on wood, we haven't had problems. By the way when you are done with your lunch, carry your stuff over to there where all the white tile is. Clean them if you like, clean a bunch of them if it pleases you, or don't. But remember, your Mama isn't following you around cleaning up.

"Community" Danni said as she stood up "that is another thing the human race has that the Combine seeks to destroy. The City is not ours to own, it is ours to care for. You may live anywhere you like as long as someone else is not already living there. However, the Community needs to know where that is. The Community doesn't give a rat's ass, but we all have responsibilities to each other and we will always care for each other." Bob tried to imitate some hard ass criminal accent and added, "Whether we like it or not. " Then he added, "It's a nice place, so take care of it. We all do our part, there have never been a shortage of volunteers. You guys will catch on. Danni was gonna go through her public service announcement about taking care of your own attitudes and crap like that. But in my crass manner I just spoiled it." Bob was running water over his own dishes when he turned and said, "So, since I spoiled it... you will no longer have to listen to her spiel. And for that... You all owe me."

Danni stuck both little fingers in her mouth and blew what sounded like a train whistle. "This is my uncle Gorou, he does the greater portion of the cooking around here. He is also our weapons master, which does not mean he owns a gun store, though he is thoroughly knowledgeable about all modern military hardware, even the stuff we find in Black Mesa. Master Gorou is from the same Korean province as my mother, and his ancestors have been weapon masters for over 500 years. Master Gorou can make and train you to be proficient with any weapon available today."

Master Gorou bowed to everyone walked over to a stone table along the wall. He opened a wooden box and removed long red rod. He stood it vertically on the floor in front of himself. The staff was about 6 feet long made out of Red Wood and Red Stone, intricate carvings could be seen winding their way along the entire length. "This was found in the Llamba Department yesterday. I have recorded the carvings and I'm investigating its origin." Jeff said, "What do you mean it was found in the Llamba dept." Danni said, "What he means, is that it wasn't there before, no one has admitted putting it there and as far as we can tell, no one here has ever seen it before." Jeff, Don and Bob all started humming the "Twilite Zone" theme at the same time. Gorou walked over to Jack and handed it to him. "I would like for you to use this as your walking stick for the next week. I've been told of your affinity for aluminum baseball bats. And if that's what you want that's is what you can have. But since this showed up the same day you did, I felt it might be yours."

Jack looked at it in awe, "Kool"  
Gorou frowned for a second, then turned to him bowed and said, "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Danni walked over to the same table "Chiyo, until you find something that trips your trigger, I have something for you. From the table she removed a long roll of silken cloth. Danni carried it over to Chiyo, knelt down and unrolled it on the floor. Inside were two staffs and a Katana. Danni removed the staffs one at a time and handed them to Chiyo. Each staff was approximately 4 foot long and constructed out of an iridescent blue metal that shimmerd as the staffs moved. Danni grabbed the Katana by the white carved handle and withdrew it. The thin blade was almost as long as the staffs and had been fashioned out of iridescent blue metal similar to the staffs. Danni said, these were my Grandmothers, but who knows she may have just been holding them for you. Chiyo stood there holding the weapons her eyes a mist of tears. She knelt down at Danni's feet and and bowed her head, when she rose her eyes were clear and bright, and for the first time Danni noticed, Blue.

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end Chapter 6

another one in the tank

Please review! This train is rolling too fast to stop now, but sure would like to know what you think.


	7. Chapter 7

Jeff watched Don sprint down the hallway to Kameryn's room. He could hear her screams of panic and calls for help pounding through the house. Sparks were flying everywhere. Betsy (Don's wife) yelled from their bedroom, "Don, what going on? Is Kameryn okay? Are you alright?"  
And then it was there, it appeared out nothing. One second empty hallway and the next second it was there. He'd never seen anything like it. The creature was mottled green and though there was no clothing to speak of, there was a collar around its neck and what looked to be shackles on its arms. It seemed to be clutching something to its chest. Don froze in his tracks. The Creature and Don looked at each other and Jeff could see a type of recognition.

Then outside Kameryn's door, a ball of electric fire appeared. A man in a Grey Suit carrying briefcase walked out and into Kameryn's Room. A few seconds later Kameryn came out holding the Man's hand. The two of them walked back into the ball of green fire, and were gone.

Jeff tried to yell down to Don, But they could not hear him. Jeff watched in horror as the creature began to raise the arms at its side's. Don's eyes went from Recognition to terror and he tried to leap forward. A soft green glow ran out from the creature's arms to Don. He was suffused with green light and lifted off the ground. His hair crackling and standing on end. A second later Don's smoking body crumpled to the floor. The creature screamed out in pain, clutching at its head and torso. It dropped something and howled as its body was racked with another wave of torment. The eyes darted around and it shook its head uttering low growls and cries.

Then Jeff heard Betsy, "Don, are you okay? Don, are you there hon? What's going on? Is Kameryn alright?" The grunts and growls from the creatue grew. It mumbled and mewled and then let out a long drawn out wail of agony. Jeff saw there was another limb, a 3rd one growing out of it's midsection. The creature turned and went to retrieve what it had dropped; Jeff saw it was some kind of weapon. It picked the weapon up with the 3rd arm. Jeff screamed for Betsy to run, that it was coming for her; but he was not heard. The creature shuffled toward the bedroom door. Jeff was howling, "Run Betsy, Its coming, Go, now Run! It moved thru the bedroom door and Betsy screamed. Jeff saw a flash, like a photobulb and Betsy stopped screaming. The creature came out of the bedroom and moved down the hallway to where it had teleported into their home. Bolts of electricity leaped out of the floor as the portal was created. The creature moved to enter the portal and the portal dissappeared. Its head tilted in a quizzacle gesture. Then the creature twisted and shreaked. It buried it's head in its arms whimpering. It was shaking and squirming, fluids began running from it's eyes and mouth, The creature rocked and squealed in agony, then collapsed.

Inside Jeff's skull, he heard a satisfied laugh.

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It was getting harder and harder for Jeff to differenciate between what was real and what was not. None of the stretchers they had built to carry him had lasted over an hour. So finally they decided that pulling him on a litter worked the best. His wounds burned with infection. They were hot and painful if touched. Every muscle in his body throbbed with pain and his head pounded. Each time he was jarred, each time the litter hit a bumb it was like a hammer-blow to his skull. He knew he was slowing them down. That he was dying was obvious. He kept telling them to just leave him.

He would slip in and out of consciusness all day. At night they would all sleep like logs, but he would be awake. He couldn't believe how soundly they would sleep, while he would toss and turn all night. Each night after they would fall asleep the creatures would come out of the woods and into the camp. He was so so weak in his current state he could do nothing to help them. So every night, they would fall asleep and he would watch them die.

The G-man would wait till the others slept, and then come walking out of the dark. They would talk but Jeff could never remeber what they had talked about. He had a lot of questions for the G-man. He wanted to know why the G-man had taken Kameryn, and when she could come home? He had wanted to tell Don she was okay, but was so tired.

Rauc-Nor wanted Don to know how sorry he was... Rauc-Nor had seen the Free-Man and knew the prophesy was true. That night in Don's home he had recognized something in the human. Rauc-Nor had seen in his minds eye... he'd seen the respect and love the human had shown to the Earth beast... and knew it to be a nobel race. Rauc-Nor had spared the human... but the Nihilanth had known, Rauc-Nor had wanted to spare the woman... he had openly defied the Nihilanth, but in the end the Nihilanth had used Rauc-Nor to slay her. For his insolance Rauc-Nor had been struck down.

There would be atonement for the shameful acts of that night

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It had been the last night on the plains. Jeff had been close to death... his life force very thin... He'd made the decision... He'd no longer burden his friends... That last night he'd gone over. Dreamwalking had come easy for Jeff. The ability to watch another's dreams... for most that is enough... sounds pretty enticing, but mostly its a bore... dreams are random... stray thoughts drawn together and acted out. Most dreams are mundane... many times we go to work or walk the dog. The chance of having or finding a really good dream... go buy a dvd it's so much easier. Dreams are like everything else, how good they are depends on how much you put into them, emotion and life force. The more emotion, the richer the experience, the more life force, the more real.

Most dreams are hazy and not much happens. But every once in awhile we will have a real knockout; we will feel true love, exert real power, acquire our ultimate desire. They are visually cleaner and better looking, the experiences are richer, more powerful, the dream will feel real, we will be genuinely surprised when we wake up. Those dreams had a ton of emotion and life force. The problem is that our dreams are built by the subconscious, and we have no control over the subconscious. The subconscious is is what runs everything, it runs the heart, the lungs, everything... It never huts down, doesn't speed up and doesn't slow down. The subconscious is a perpetual motion machine, it's kinda like a diesel motor and you can't get much more exciting than a diesel.

For dreamwalkers, the everyday mundane ones are the safest, you can get in and get out, but rent a dvd they are a lot more fun. Dreamwalk a good dream... you may not get out till the next morning when the person wakes up. The stong feelings and the power of our life force make them feel real, like life. You just dont up and walk out of life

The Vortiguants hold and participation in the essence of life is different than human. Much of the Vortigaunts life force is communal; part of their structure, their being and maybe their soul is also a part of every other Vortigaunt. So in one respect, their race has achieved some measure of immortality. Our human cultures are more centralizied around the core of self and the preservation of individuality; and indeed this preoccupation may be our ultimate barrier in understanding this segment of their makeup rather than the lack of cumulative data.

Don threw out his blanket, and laid down. He'd pulled Jeff's litter on the last little stretch they'd come, he had a feeling he wasn't gonna last long tonight. Chiyo knelt and sadly wiped the sweat off Jeff's forehead. They had to find something really quick, Jeff's time was running out. She looked out over the plains in all directions. It looked just like it had last night. Absolutely nothing in every direction as far as she could see. Jack was picking up rocks and then hitting them with his aluminum bat. "Hey Jeff listen to this" he threw up a rock and hit it, there was a resounding crack and then a long pause. "Not bad, about 120 yds I'd say. Now listen to the this, Jack threw up another rock and swung the bat, this time when bat hit the rock, it was like the peeling of a bell. " Going, Going, Going, Gone! Now that my son was about 165 yds that's close to 500ft. Am I the man or what. You can always tell a really good hit cause it makes that gong sound. It reminds me of that miniature golf course we went to. You were so plotzed!" Jack just went on talking and laughing, carrying on a conversation with Jeff. It really didn't matter that Jeff never answered him. Jack could talk for the both of them. Jack kept talking and story-telling for over an hour. Finally he said, "see ya in the morning Putz" He said it like nothing was out of the ordinary, and his friend wasn't dying.

These were really good friends. The things they had done for him this week, The sacrifices they had made. There was a good chance they would all die, because they refused to leave him. They deserved better. He wasn't going to let them waste time on him anymore. It was time for him to go.

He did not antisipate having any problems leaving the lifeplane. He imagined it to be like taking a walk. A long walk away from everything. But it was proving to more difficult than he had thought. And he found the reasons for it rather ironic. Jeff was extremely weak, and knew his time was very close. He was using a form of meditation. He drew his thoughts inward and became perfectly still. Then he shut down all his thinking and began again with a blank slate. He visualized his body, it's muscles and it's organs. Starting with his feet he let go of all tension, all negative thought, and relaxed each muscle and shut down each organ.

Jeff visualized his life source energy coursing through his body and pushed it out so it could disperse through out the universe. And here was the irony. Because he was so close to death and his life source so thin, he was like a piece of flotsam in the tide. Rather than disperse, the life source energy would be redirected and drawn in. He was being drawn in by his companions, and each time there was a sense of Deja Vu, that he had been there before.

99% of all dreaming is undirected; however dreamwalkers direct themselves into someone elses dream. The dream itself is still undirected, because it is created and directed by the subconscious of the dreamer. Once he has entered the dreamwalker can either watch or take an active role. Jeff was trying to let himself slip away, and each time he tried he was swept up by one of his friends and taken somewhere, and each time it felt like he'd had been there before. But he couldn't have been there, because he had never dreamwalked his friends. Nor did Jeff recognize the places where he was being swept off to. Something here was amiss.

Earlier he'd had this calm resignation about what was happening to his life force. But this had caught his interest, and a reversal was taking place. He'd swear it was. His life force was expanding. If he was going to get to the bottom of it he had to do it now. It had to be done when he was on death's door with his life force at a level where it would be swept away. Something told him that he would not be able to do that much longer. And with that thought Jeff died. Only not in the way most of us probably think of death.

Jeff went through the meditation to disperse his life energies again. And they did. His life source was no longer a part of the body. Jeff did not know what he was right them. Nothing corporeal that was for sure. And then he stopped examining. Something told not to go there rather "go with the flow" Let whatever this was guide him. He felt presence... actually two. He thought about direction and as soon as he did, he knew it didn't matter, but also sensed that they were almost within him. And knew that was because his life force was dispersed over a great area and they were within that area. And then "we serve the same mystery" it wasn't a voice, it wasn't a thought. it just was, and whatever it was, it was not him. Jeff sensed that what ever it was, it was very similar to what he was right then.

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Jeff watched Don sprint down the hallway to Kameryn's room. He could hear her screams of panic and calls for help pounding through the house. Sparks were flying everywhere. Betsy yelled from their bedroom, "Don, what is going on? Is Kameryn okay? Are you alright?" And then Rauc-Nor was there, he appeared out of nothing. One second empty hallway and the next second the Vortigaunt was there. Rauc-Nor brandished a weapon at his chest. Don froze in his tracks.

Down through millennia have been meetings such as this, antagonists locked in their roles, results vary but are similar as few are able to perceive anything but the shadow of themselves: a gunfight, a massacre, some butchery, hunter taking prey, soldier taking soldier, man taking beast, culprit taking victim.

Rauc-Nor and Don looked up and met gazes. The world moved... the doors of perception opened and the gift was passed. There was a moment of recognition, in their minds eye they didn't see each other as monsters from another dimension but sentient beings, they felt the bonds of energy to matter and recognized the bond of life to life.

Dimensions shuffled... glimpses of anothers memories, memories of love and respect, of sadness and joy, of duty and honor, of bravery and sacrifice, hard decisions for the right reasons. Outside Kameryn's room the G-man steps out of a portal; she is collected and they step back through.

Jeff tried to yell down to Don. Rauc-Nor's race (the Vortigaunts) had been enslaved by the Nihilanth for centuries. The Nihilanth had fitted them with collars that tapped into the pain and pleasure centers of their brains. After centuries of subjugation their once noble race lived only for the Nihilanth's approval. Their will seduced and blinded. The Vortiguants, slaves themselves were now tools for the enslavement of others.

Dimensions shuffled, Rauc-Nor is shown glimpses of the Freeman. Rauc-nor knows... it ends today. The human must be spared. Rauc-Nor raises his arms to spread the human's system with enough energy to incapacitate him. Don's eyes went from Recognition to terror and he tried to leap forward. A soft green glow ran out from the creature's arms to Don. He was suffused with green light and lifted off the ground. His hair crackling and standing on end. A second later Don's smoking body crumpled to the floor.

Rauc-Nor screams in pain as the Nihilanth stimulated his pain receptors. "You dare to disobey... I am the Master of Worlds... You are nothing... Kill all Humans... Their subjugation is my will..." Rauc-Nor had seen... the Vortigaunts, a once beneficient race had degenerated into henchmen for the tyrant... It ended today... "Your will is my own... You have no will... You, who are nothing... You have nothing but agony..." Rauc-Nor wails as he feels his body being burned away by corrosive acids... "Your kind is meant to serve only my will..." Rauc-Nor wimpers as his body is torn away in chunks by feeding vermin... It sways as the control of its body is taken...

Jeff heard Betsy, "Don, are you okay. What's going on? Is Kameryn all right?" The vortigaunts possessed 2 arms on either side of their torso and a 3rd limb that protruded from their mid-section. The Nihilanth forced Rauc-Nor to pick up its weapon with it's 3rd limb. It was very quiet inside the house now. Rauc-Nor had been waving his head from side to side, reeling from the waves of pain the Nihilanth had been bombarding him with. He now it let out a long agonized wail. The wail subsided, the arms at his sides fell limp, he no longer had the strength or will to raise them. He shuffled down the hallway to the master bedroom holding the weapon in front of his body.

Jeff screamed out a warning to her. He screamed for Betsy to run, but she didn't hear him. Rauc-Nor went thru the bedroom door and Betsy screamed. Jeff saw a flash, like it photobulb, and Betsy stopped screaming. Waves of Shame, Remorse and Despair flowed over Rauc-Nor. He had wanted to be the difference and in the end had failed. He shuffled back down the hallway to where the portal should open. Bolts of electricity sprang from the floor as the portal was created; but when Rauc-Nor tried to enter the portal, the portal disappeared. He tilted its head in a quizzacal gesture... What now...

The Nihilanth began laughing inside Rauc-Nor's mind, "Our play is not over yet Maggot" Pain like never before flooded the Vortigaunts mind. Boiling Freezing Burning Pain... Rauc-Nor writhed and screamed in anguish, the arms at its side clutched its head. He swayed,screaming and mewling, fluids began running from his eyes and mouth. Rauc-Nor convulsed and twitched and finally collapsed.

Rauc-Nor looked at Jeff. Please tell him I'm sorry... I wish I could have done more... Alas, the flesh is weak...Tell him I am eternally grateful... I would not have wanted my time to have ended the way it would have. He gave me the chance.

Jeff felt as if his head was a drain and water was rushing into it. He opened his eyes to see his friends lying around him asleep. He was proud to know these people and glad his time with them was not over.

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end Chapter 7

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	8. Chapter 8

Rauc-Nor looked up Jeff, "Please tell him I'm sorry... I wish I could have done more...  
Alas, the flesh is weak...  
Tell him I am eternally grateful..  
I would not have wanted my time to have ended the way it would have.  
He gave me the chance."

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It had been a week since the Jeep had run out of gas. Only a half day later, the Bullquid attacked Jeff.  
Since then, they had taken turns pulling him on a litter.  
Jeff knew his life force was thin, and the infection stole more of it each day, he had very little time left  
But since the food had run out 3 days ago, the clock was ticking on them all, they could have gone so much farther if they were not pulling him. He couldn't stand the idea, that he might cause them all to die.  
Enough was enough, he would no longer be a burden to his friends. So, that last night in the plains he died.

His friends were very worried, he had not awakened all day. He hadn't even cried out when the litter had taken some good bumbs.

Each of them spent a little time talking to him before they lay down for the night, Jeff had not responded at all.

Jeff visualized his life force as a mist spreading out from his body in all directions.  
He pictured it dispersing, covering a wider and wider area, he watched it trail and snake through the country side.  
He pictured it rising into space always moving farther and faster from his body and getting thinner and thinner.  
Soon it was rocketing out as it dispersed through out the solar system, galaxy, universe and was it still moving out.

He was a dreamwalker though, and found his friends concern for him kept drawing him back to their dreams.  
And something weird was happening, each time he was drawn back he felt stronger.  
So Jeff concentrated and gave it everything he had as long as he could, He put everything he had into it, he pushed will all his heart and soul. He would not fail. His lifeforce covered light years of space, and still moved out getting thinner, refusing to give up.

That is how Rauc-Nor found him...

Life is attracted to life; Jeff wanted to give all of what he had.  
Rauc-Nor was a Vortiguant, during the resonance cascade he had been a part of the Nihilanths invading army.  
The Nihilanth teleported him into Don's home, with the instructions, "kill all Humans".

But something wonderful happened between him and the human; they were able to look past the flesh, Rauc-Nor had perceived Don's essence.  
The experience changed him, he rebelled against the Nihilanth and was struck down.  
Much of the Vortiguant life force is communal, it is shared with all the race and so never passes and a part of every vortiguant.  
Rauc-Nor's life source never rejoined the race, it had not be able to find it's way to them, It had been traveling in much of the same way as Jeff's lifeforce right now.

Life attracts life... They mingled... The life forces coalesced... The essence of the two beings mingled...  
It might be said the Rauc-Nor had unfinished business... he hoped that somehow Don could understand.  
Rauc-Nor, Jeff and Don relived that fateful night of the resonance cascade.  
Everyone attributed Jeff's miraculous recovery to the healing powers of the Vortiguants.  
When in fact he had been healed that night. Jeff had given all he had that night, both good and bad.

Jeff's lifeforce had covered thousands of light years of space, it had attracted life and energy from countless planets an stars.  
Now it flowed back into Jeff's body as a torrent, and there was no longer any room for sickness and death.  
Jeff's brain felt like a drain, everything flowing to him and down through.  
He opened his eyes to see his friends lying around him asleep.  
He was proud to know these people and glad his time with them was not over.

They saw little of Jeff those first days in the city. They assumed the Vortiguants were healing his wounds.

And indeed he did spent those first few days pretty much exclusively with the Vortiguants.  
His whole being had been tingling with all sorts of energies.  
The Vortiguants had the ability to draw energy out of the world around them.  
He wondered if that might have something to with their communal life source.  
So he spent that time listening to the world around him, to the very fabric of existence.  
But all he found were more mysteries, so he decided to rejoin he friends.

Gordon loved coming picking up Jeff in the wheelchair kinda like a taxi cab, and then taking him to see his friends.  
So they naturally thought he still needed the wheelchair.  
But today he walked.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Many people misunderstood Jack. He did things a little different than other people would do them.  
He didn't want to be thought of as different from others. He didn't want people to think he was special.  
If you would have told him he was unorthodox, he would have no idea what you meant.  
Jack didn't look at the world like that. The reason he did things a little bit different is because, that's how it made sense to him to do it.  
And that is why, Don and Chiyo were surprised when he started helping Gorou cook.

It's ironic too.  
Jack assumed Gorou was teaching him to be a cook, when Gorou was training him to be a warrior.

This was the city.  
There were no buses or schedule's. There was no set time or set place to eat. There was no crime. Very few arguments. And somehow it worked without anyone administating it. Most everyone assumed it worked because of those very things. There was an unspoken understanding that no one would attempt to start a goverment or an adminstration of some sorts until was evident it was not going to survive.

But Danni realized that somehow, without breaking the "no system" that worked, they were going to have to get a little organized. There was a lot going on, and it was hard to talk about, because it was more about thinking something was a miss than having proof. It was hard enough to follow a train of thought and speak it clearly, because it wasn't something you could be sure of. Things like that get dropped and forgotten. They needed to start watching for trends. They needed to know what they were looking for. They needed to compare notes.

The city was a strange place. It was a mish mash of arcitecture. Some buildings looked like the pueblo indians built them. Others were similar to Chalets you might see in the mountains, Still others were similar to the domes you see in the middle east. But nothing was extraordinarily different either. Which is in itself, was pretty stange. Of course it is said the all knoweldge has already existed, we just remember it. Maybe the same goes for arctitecture.

The city is built on the walls of a canyon that is 20 miles long. It covers the whole inside of it. We think it just spirals around, level after level till finally it would come out the bottom. But nobody knows because, first it would probably take he rest of your life to investigate, secondly, it doesn't matter. The city is a beautiful cornucopia of different colors and shapes. There are the gigantic trees growing on the canyon floor, plus all the small trees and bushes that are growing through out the city. The mish mash of arcitecture is set in levels rising up from the canyon floor. There are several waterfalls from underground streams that surface in the city. Because there is water here but we are also in the desert there is tons of moisture in the air. The air is hazy with lots of low clouds and mists which obscure much of the walls and city. It really makes for a hauntingly beautiful site. But its hard to gauge whats here by sight. The first time you look at it. You might think it has 5 or 6 levels, Look at it again and you might think twice that number. Its like an ant hill. A quick glance and you might not see any ants, look at little closer and you see a few and then really look at it and you see hundreds of ants that were there all the time.

The city is tremendously large but there is no transportation system. There are no 2 way streets, no intersections with lights and crosswalks. The walkways in many places were wide enough and looked like they could have had some traffic but then it might thin into a sidewalk and have access to home entrances. But one the strangest things about it is how easy and fast it was to get to a spot in city after you have been there once. It doesn't take but a few minutes no mattter where you are. Going to the canyon floor for example. The stairs wind down to the floor. A set of stairs about 15 to 20 ft in length may run down the outside wall, allowing a view of the canyon. Then stop on a on landing where another set of stairs goes the opposite direction down on the inside wall. Makes sense. But it never takes over 3 sets of stairs to take you anywhere. Top to canyon floor, head down the stairs, you wind around a couple times, and your at the bottom. That is unless you wanted to go to the 3rd level, then you would take the stairs and they would wind around a couple times an you'd be at the 3 level. No one really knows how many levels there are. The most anyone has walked down is 3 . And you can look over the side and see that there are more than 3 levels.

Somehow the city knows where you want/need/should go and transports you there. You start down the stairs and when you walk out of the opposite end of the inside stairwell you exit at the inside stairwell closest to your destination. It's like an elevator you walk down, you walk in one end of the stairway and when you walk out of the exit you are on the floor that you wanted.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Danni and Don were already seated at the corner table when Jeff and Gordon arrived. Jack was talking with them, Jack had always been a pretty good natured person, as good natured as you can be under the harsh Combine rule, but he didn't seem as hyper, as strained, as forced to manufacture a good mood, he was more relaxed or maybe contented. "Good Morning" Jeff said, walking up to the table.

"Wow" Jack exclaimed, "Jeff you look great. What are the Vorts feeding you?"  
"Well that's something we need to all talk about. I know I haven't been the life of the party, I've been kinda distant since we arrived."  
Don burst in, "Jeff don't worry abut it, that squid got you pretty good. Take as much time as you need."  
"Well that it Man, I haven't needed as much time as I've taken," he said sheepishly.  
Don looked puzzled, "I don't understand."

"See Don, this is why we really need to talk, first I have some thing to tell you in particular, I need to pass along a message. And then as long as it doesn't bother you, I'll tell my tale of the last week to everyone. It's pretty important and I know part of what's going on."  
"Well, if that's the case, as soon as Chiyo and Bob get here, tell me then. That way you don't have go through it twice. As long as it's not some big confession about stealing my dvd collection."  
"No nothing like that, besides you don't even have a dvd player so you didn't need your collection any more." Jeff grinned wildly. It felt good to get back into the banter again, although he now recognized how strained it had all been. How hard all of them had been trying to make good times out of the horrible life under Combine rule. Just then, a squeal brought him out of his thoughts as Chiyo threw her arms around him and planted a big kiss on his lips. "Oh God Jeff, you're okay. You're really okay, you really scared me. I thought we had lost you for awhile."

They all sat and ate and joked for a time and then Danni said, "Please don't run off after we finish, I've got something I'd like to ask your your help with, but I'll wait till after Jeff is finished ." They shook there heads, and Jeff said, "I don't really know where to start. First I want to tell you all how grateful, and proud I am to have you as friends. You didn't abandon me, even though I pleaded with you to. You risked your lives draggin me behind you knowing that our time was running out. I was powerless to do anything, and was afraid that I would be the cause of all of us perishing. The night before Danni and Bob found us, I was determined that wasn't going to happen. I was so weak. I knew I was dying and that the chances of us finding some help in time were slim and none. I also knew that your chances would be a lot better if you weren't pulling me around on that litter."

"So that last night out there on the plains I finally let go. I tried to let go of my life and just fade away. Don... now that you've regained some of yor memory, do you recall dreaming of anything that night?" Jeff asked.  
Don thought about it for a second, "Well, I'd had nightmares all that night. And now that I think about it, they may have been about what I remembered."  
"Don, tell me... that Vortiguant in your house, do you remember it's name?"  
"How the heck should I know it's name?"  
"Well, you said that you made some kind of connection to it, that you recognized something." Don was shaking his head no,  
"Okay, does Rauc-Nor mean anything to you."  
Recognition came over Don's face, "That's it, don't ask me how I know, but I know that's it. But how the hell do you know that?"

"Because I was there. Now this is going to sound absolutely crazy but I was there. The Vortiguant died there, he was killed by the Nihilanth. The portion of Life force that is shared by all Vortigants, that was him, well, its just been out there, not part of the whole. Who knows why, it probably had something to do with the portal storms. And when I was letting go of mine he found me, and he found me out of his desire to tell you how sorry he was for what happened. I relived that night with you two. I saw through both your eyes."

"He spared you, just knocked you out. But the Nihilanth wasn't fooled. And punished him, he then sent him to kill Betsy, and when he rebelled, he tortured him. He tortured to a point that the Nihilanth could completetly control him and then took control of his body and made it kill Betsy. Afterwards Rauc-Nor was filled with the pain and remorse for what he'd been made to do, he was totally shamed and defeated, the Nihilanth laughed at him and then stimulated the pain sensors in his brain so much he died. You know, we can't know how some things in our lives can affect others, some kindness, something said or done. That night he was so overwhelmed by the love and respect you'd had for your dog, he felt the love and the pain you had for some other beings life, that he gave up his life for yours. He wanted you to know how sorry he was for the part he played in the destruction of your family, he wished that he could have done more and somehow saved Betsy. But mostly, he wanted to tell you how grateful he was for the chance to change his life, for it to be able to stand for something, rather than have his life just be one bent on the destruction and enslavement of others."

"He also saved my life. Somehow and this is what I've been trying to figure out since Danni & Bob found us. I either was able to draw life force from everywhere or maybe I gained the Vorts ability to draw energy from the world around us, but I drew in so much energy, life force or somthing that there wasn't any room for the infection or anything else bad in my body. I was completely healed that night. I was incapasitated from the whole ordeal, but the infection was gone and driven out in such a way that my wounds are completely healed and gone in the the couple days it's been since we got here."

"I feel like there is more to tell but right now I'll leave it at that. I know all this sounds unbelieveable but look at me."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

end Chapter 8

please! read and review!


	9. Chapter 9

Okay, so this is not more content.

More is coming, but I have been updating, correcting and tweaking the past chapters, but it doesn't look like I've done anything for several months.  
But that is not true.  
So I'm trying to manipulate the system.

So sue me :) 


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